Kobach: Only prosecution will block double-voting

Monday

Dec 31, 2012 at 2:00 PM

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says increasing the power of his office is the best way to deter people from double-voting.

AP

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says increasing the power of his office is the best way to deter people from double-voting.Kobach will seek authority from the 2013 Legislature to prosecute election fraud. He said it's the last major step Kansas needs to take to effectively combat voting irregularities.He said county prosecutors are often too overworked to take on such cases.Critics contend Kobach overstates the threat and is suppressing turnout with initiatives he has championed. Those measures include a law requiring all voters to show photo identification at the polls.But Kobach says his office received reports of more than 10 cases of double-voting from the 2010 election. He argues that prosecuting such cases is the only real deterrent.